1st Edition
New Perspectives on Human Dignity in Asia Cross-Cultural Interpretations and Dialogue
This volume examines the concept of human dignity from uniquely Asian perspectives. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) celebrates its 75th anniversary, human dignity is more consequential than ever, yet it is not understood in the same way in every nation or by every culture. Here, human dignity is approached from a number of distinctive viewpoints: its relation to religious freedom in maturing pluralist democracies, its foundation in ancient Eastern philosophy, its pursuit by liberation movements, and its alignment with Buddhism, Islam, and less familiar Indigenous religions. The authors, from various Asian countries, bring extensive scholarship and experience to bear on the project of expanding the idea of human dignity. They present a range of perspectives, having roots as they do in states with distinct religious and cultural traditions that, following the Second World War, have evolved toward constitutional democracies, as well as states where social and legislative developments related to human dignity have been influenced by more collectivist ideologies. The collection will be of interest to philosophers of law, constitutional and human rights theorists and lawyers, political historians, international law specialists and ethicists, and those interested in interfaith dialogue and multifaith engagement.
Introduction
Brett G. Scharffs, Hannah Clayson Smith, and Emily H. Butler
1. Human Dignity and Asian Values: Ideological Foundations, Ethical Principles, and Legal Practices
Do Lan Hien
2. Perspectives on Human Dignity in Bangladesh
Ismat Jahan
3. Buddhism and Human Dignity
Hoang Thi Lan
4. Chinese Conceptions of Dignity and Rights
Paul Marshall
5. Chinese Perspectives on Human Dignity: Insights from Chinese Scholars’ Studies
Pinghua Sun
6. Human Dignity in the Chinese Constitution
Songfeng Li
7. Human Dignity and Political Natural Law
Qianfan Zhang
8. The Universality of Human Dignity and Human Rights: An Indonesian Experience
Maruarar Siahaan
9. Are There Notions of Human Dignity in Japanese Religions? An Inquiry into Folk Religion, Buddhism, and Christianity
Martin Repp
10. Japanese Dignity from the Perspective of Spirituality
Naoki Kashio
11. Choe Je-u’s Religious Experience and the Rise of Human Dignity: Consciousness in the Eastern Learning of Korea
Chae Young Kim
12. The One Mind of Seon Master Daehaeng in the Era of Post-Humans
Hyeyou Sunim
13. The Human Dignity of Women Pastors in the Korean Church
Youngsu Kim
14. Upholding Human Dignity for Peaceful Coexistence and Social Harmony: A Conversation between Muslims and Non-Muslims on Principles and Prerequisites in Malaysian Society
Eugene Yapp
15. Human Dignity: An Islamic and Malaysian Perspective
Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil
16. The Basis of Women’s Dignity: A Vietnamese Perspective
Chi Tran-Phuong and Anh Nguyen-The
17. A History of Human Dignity in Vietnam
Do Quang Hung
18. Human Dignity: Some Fundamental Issues from the Vietnamese Legal Perspective
Pham Quoc Thanh
19. Human Dignity Within Bali Hinduism: Local, National, and Global Perspectives
I Ketut Ardhana, Ni Wayan Radita Novi Puspitasari, and Ni Made Putri Ariyanti
Biography
Brett G. Scharffs is the Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, USA.
Hannah Clayson Smith is the Associate Director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies at Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, USA.
Emily H. Butler is an editor at the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, USA.
